Survivors Relay for Life

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Pat Walsh hoisted herself onto the edge of a makeshift seat on the loading dock and watched
pedestrian traffic going by, searching for the words to describe a Friday night in June, when the candles burned all night long

'That was my turning point,' Walsh said of the night four years ago when she attended her first Relay for Life gathering

at the East Side Recreation Field on Lake Avenue. It followed a cruel winter of emotional personal torment, spent wondering about her own mortality. The feelings stemmed from a notable day nine months earlier when she was first told the news that would change her life.

'It was Sept. 2, 1999, to be precise, when I found out,' Walsh said, raising her arm and bending the fingers on her hand to the shape of the letter C. Cataclysm. Catastrophe. Cancer.
'The Big C,' Walsh said. 'My first thought was 'That's it, you're dead.'

In the spring of 2000, her oncologist's office suggested she look into an upcoming event by the American Cancer Society called Relay for Life.
Relay for Life is a volunteer-driven community event and was first started in 1985 by a Tacoma, Wash., based surgeon, who inspired a 24-hour marathon walk to celebrate hope and raise funds for cancer research, education and services.
The annual gathering is held in more than 4,000 communities nationwide.

The first time Walsh attended in 2000, she said it was an awakening experience.

'When people find out you have cancer, they say 'Oh, don't worry, you'll be fine,'' she said, somewhat unconvincingly. 'But it wasn't until I went to the relay, and I met all the cancer survivors that I saw it for myself.'

For Walsh, it was also a motivational gathering. She promptly created her own relay team -- the Saratoga Warriors - of which she is the 'captain.' It is one of the dozens of 'teams' involved in what Walsh stresses is a noncompetitive event.

'The team members help out each other. It's all for the cause,' she said.

'When they say 'relay,' it's not like you're running around the track all night long,' Walsh laughs. 'What it is, is really a great, big party and a way to raise money to find a cure for cancer.'

The event gets under way at 7 p.m. and includes the victory/survivor lap, walking around the track, with a reading of the names of survivors.

At 10 p.m., the lighting of memorial candles, or luminaria ceremony, gets under way. Each light honors someone who has battled cancer. The lights are laid out along the track and burn throughout the night.

'The luminaria ceremony is one of the most moving parts of the relay, when it's dark and letters spelling the word 'Hope' are lit up. It is a moving way to remember people,' said Walsh, explaining that mixed emotions are common through the evening, from joy to sorrow, humorous to the solemn.

As the lights stay lit all night long, there are a variety of activities and games going on and a DJ plays tunes.

Some participants eventually make it off to the tents to sleep. Others hang out on lawn chairs and visit with friends.

The night is a remembrance of those that are gone and held in honor of those who are survivors.
'It's a way for the community of family and friends to celebrate life,' said Walsh, a survivor.

by Thomas Dimopoulos
The Saratogian, 2003.